Cornwall (UK Parliament constituency)


Cornwall is a former county constituency covering the county of Cornwall, in the South West of England. It was a constituency of the House of Commons of England then of the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1832. It was represented by two Knights of the Shire, elected by the bloc vote system.
Under the Reform Act 1832, it was divided between the constituencies of East Cornwall and West Cornwall.

Boundaries and franchise

The constituency consisted of the whole of the historic county of Cornwall, the most south-westerly county of England, occupying the part of the South West peninsula to the west of the River Tamar which divides the county from Devon.
As in other county constituencies the franchise between 1430 and 1832 was defined by the Forty Shilling Freeholder Act, which gave the right to vote to every man who possessed freehold property within the county valued at £2 or more per year for the purposes of land tax; it was not necessary for the freeholder to occupy his land, nor even in later years to be resident in the county at all.
By the time of the Great Reform Act in 1832, the population of Cornwall was about 300,000. Only a tiny fraction of these were entitled to vote. Sedgwick estimated there were about 2,300 electors in this constituency in the 1715–1754 period, and Namier and Brooke suggest this had increased to about 2,500 electors in the 1754–1790 period. At the vigorously contested election of 1790, when a high turnout can be assumed, 4,656 valid votes were cast. At Cornwall's final election, in 1831, 5,350 votes were cast.

Members of Parliament

1510–1629

As there were sometimes significant gaps between Parliaments held in this period, the dates of first assembly and dissolution are given. Where the name of the member has not yet been ascertained or is not recorded in a surviving document, the entry unknown is entered in the table.
The Roman numerals after some names are those used in The House of Commons 1509–1558 to distinguish a member from another politician of the same name.
In 1529 alternative versions are given of the names for one member. The first comes from the above book on the House of Commons. The second originates from another source.
ElectedAssembledDissolvedFirst MemberSecond Member
151021 January 151023 February 1510unknownunknown
15124 February 15124 March 1514unknownunknown
15155 February 151522 December 1515Sir Peter Edgecombeunknown
152315 April 152313 August 1523unknownunknown
15293 November 152914 April 1536Sir Peter EdgecombeRichard Grenville
15368 June 153618 July 1536unknownunknown
153928 April 153924 July 1540Sir John ChamondWilliam Godolphin I
154216 January 154228 March 1544Richard Edgcumbeunknown
154523 November 154531 January 1547Richard ChamondJohn Beauchamp
15474 November 154715 April 1552 Richard EdgecumbeJohn Reskymer
15531 March 155331 March 1553 William Godolphin IHenry Chiverton
15535 October 15535 December 1553John CarminoweRichard Roscarrock
15542 April 15543 May 1554Sir John ArundellRichard Roscarrock
155412 November 155416 January 1555? Thomas Trefry IHenry Chiverton
155521 October 15559 December 1555Richard ChamondHenry Chiverton
155820 January 155817 November 1558John ArundellJohn Polwhele
155923 January 15598 May 1559John TrelawnyRichard Chamond
1562 or 156311 January 15632 January 1567Peter EdgcumbeJohn Trelawny
died and repl. 1566 by Richard Chamond
15712 April 157129 May 1571Richard GrenvilleWilliam Mohun
15728 May 157219 April 1583Peter Edgcumbe to 1581
Richard Chamond
158423 November 158414 September 1585Richard Grenville William Mohun
158613 October 158623 March 1587Peter Edgcumbe William Mohun
15884 February 158929 March 1589Peter EdgcumbeSir Francis Godolphin
159318 February 159310 April 1593Peter EdgcumbeWilliam Bevil
159724 October 15979 February 1598William KilligrewJonathan Trelawny
160127 October 160119 December 1601Sir Walter RaleighJohn Arundell
160419 March 16049 February 1611Sir Anthony RousSir Jonathan Trelawny died 1604
Sir William Godolphin
16145 April 16147 June 1614Richard CarewJohn St Aubyn
1620 or 162116 January 16218 February 1622Bevil GrenvilleJohn Arundell
1623 or 162412 February 162427 March 1625Bevil GrenvilleWilliam Coryton
162517 May 162512 August 1625Sir Robert KilligrewCharles Trevanion
16266 February 162615 June 1626Sir Francis GodolphinWilliam Coryton
162817 March 162810 March 1629Sir John EliotWilliam Coryton

1640–1832

YearFirst memberSecond memberThird memberFourth member
1653Robert BennetFrancis LangdonAnthony RousJohn Bawden

YearFirst memberSecond memberThird memberFourth memberFifth memberSixth memberSeventh memberEighth member
1654Anthony RousAnthony NichollThomas SillyRichard CarterWalter MoyleCharles BoscawenThomas GewenJames Launce
1656Anthony RousAnthony NichollThomas SillyRichard CarterWalter MoyleFrancis RousWilliam BraddonJohn St Aubyn

The bloc vote electoral system was used in two seat elections and first past the post for single member by-elections. Each elector had as many votes as there were seats to be filled. Votes had to be cast by a spoken declaration, in public, at the hustings, which were usually held at the county town. The expense and difficulty of voting at only one location in the county, together with the lack of a secret ballot contributed to the corruption and intimidation of electors, which was widespread in the unreformed British political system.
The expense, to candidates and their supporters, of contested elections encouraged the leading families of the county to agree on the candidates to be returned unopposed whenever possible. Contested county elections were therefore unusual.
There were no contested general election polls in Cornwall between 1710 and 1774. Leading Whig politicians, like Sir Robert Walpole, were happy to let Tory squires represent the county; to avoid them interfering with Whig plans in the county's numerous borough constituencies. The related families of Carew, Molesworth, St Aubyn and Buller monopolised the representation for much of the 18th century, until the partners in the Miners' Bank at Truro, Humphrey Mackworth Praed and William Lemon, became involved in elections in the [|1770s].
Note on percentage change calculations: Where there was only one candidate of a party in successive elections, for the same number of seats, change is calculated on the party percentage vote. Where there was more than one candidate, in one or both successive elections for the same number of seats, then change is calculated on the individual percentage vote.
Note on sources: The information for the election results given below is taken from Sedgwick 1715–1754, Namier and Brooke 1754–1790 and Stooks Smith 1790–1832.

[|1710s] – [|1720s] – [|1730s] – [|1740s] – [|1750s] – [|1760s] – 1770s – [|1780s] –
[|1790s] – [|1800s] – [|1810s] – [|1820s] – [|1830s]

Elections in the 1710s

Elections in the 1720s

Elections in the 1730s

Elections in the 1740s

Elections in the 1760s

Elections in the 1810s

Elections in the 1820s